In Remembrance of Me
by TacsGurlJess
Summary: After her husband's death, Jessica goes to visit Eugene's grave. She receives a most comforting message from the man she loved. Chapter 4 is here, so please R&R! Tell me what you think.
1. Default Chapter

In Remembrance of Me  
  
A black-and-white United States Mounted Police Corps sport cycle pulled in past the open gates of Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles. The driver put her bike in park and, while using her foot to bring down the kickstand, took the key out of the ignition. After dismounting from the black leather seat, the young woman in uniform opened the back compartment and removed a single white rose. Finally she proceeded to enter the cemetery's maze of headstones. It was a gorgeous day, with no clouds to be seen, and the birds in the trees were warbling their throaty songs. The woman, a 27-year-old with hair a beautiful shade of auburn and sparkling brown eyes, walked slowly among the graves scattered throughout the cemetery. Eventually, she came upon the one: Sergeant Eugene Tackleberry. She stopped and gazed downward for a moment, her face solemn, as she removed her helmet and said a silent prayer for him. Then, she knelt down and gently placed the rose in front of the headstone, continuing to read the words engraved on it, never tearing her gaze away. After a few minutes had passed, she felt her eyes begin to sting; soon, one tear, then another, slid down her cheek.  
  
God, how I miss you, the officer thought to herself as she ran a gloved hand lightly over the smooth surface of the headstone. Things just haven't been the same since you left us. At that moment, a light breeze floated by her and caressed her face. She could almost swear a soft, breathy voice spoke to her.  
  
"Jessica." Jessica squinted her eyes a bit. The voice on the breeze, it sounded so familiar. Then she shook her head.  
  
"I must be hearing things," she said to herself. "There's no one here except me."  
  
"Jessica." There it was again, except this time it sounded more real. Jessica looked about; still nobody around. She turned her eyes back to the marble headstone that marked Sergeant Tackleberry's resting place. However, she didn't sense there was someone behind her, a person who had been part of her life.  
  
Oh, Eugene, Jessica continued on in her mind, you have no idea how much you were loved. You have no idea. She never got to finish that thought because suddenly she felt a presence near her. The officer slowly looked to her right, where a black glove rested on her shoulder. Her eyes traveled up a black leather sleeve, and she turned her head around to see a familiar face.  
  
"Jessica, why weren't you listening? I've been trying to get your attention." Sure enough, Eugene Tackleberry-rather, his ghost-was standing there, bent over her. Immediately, Jessica's face brightened.  
  
"Eugene!" She threw her arms around him and tackled her husband to the ground. In an instant they were a happy tangle of arms and legs. Jessica planted smooches all over his face, she was so thrilled to see him.  
  
"Whoa, Lieutenant Tackleberry!" Eugene laughed. "Easy on the kisses." When his lips met hers, he gave her one deep kiss. Once they pulled back, he gave her his signature smile. "You're awfully glad to see me, aren't you?"  
  
"I've missed having you around," Jessica replied, lying on her back next to him. "My life's felt so.so empty since you died." She sighed and gazed up at the clear, open sky. Eugene sat up at this.  
  
"But it doesn't have to be like that," he said, more serious now. "I can still be with you, even if it isn't in a mortal state."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Jessica asked, sitting up as well. "I mean, sure, I believe in angels and that God sends them to watch over us. That I've known from the time I was little. But can a dead friend stay with me even though he's a spirit now?"  
  
"It's simple," Tackleberry explained. "If you allow me to, I'll remain with you in your mind"-he pointed to her forehead-"and in your heart." He then tenderly laid his palm on the middle of her chest.  
  
The younger Tackleberry looked disappointed at his words. "How will I know that you'll always be there with me and for me, even though you're not alive any longer? I'm sure you've got other people to look after."  
  
"Just keep me in your thoughts, or even whisper my name," Eugene answered, "and you know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll always answer you," he finished. "You only have to listen for my voice on the wind. Or, whenever you pick up a gun, think of me and I'll give you a sharp eye and a steady hand."  
  
"Will it help at all to come and visit you often?" Jessica asked hopefully.  
  
"Sure," Eugene said. Jessica sighed and leaned against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder instinctively.  
  
"There's something I don't understand, though," she blurted out of nowhere.  
  
"What's that?" the tall motorcycle police officer asked, turning his head and looking at her.  
  
"If you're a ghost, how is it I can see, hear, and touch you so plainly?" Jessica wondered, shifting her eyes to meet her friend's.  
  
"Angels can do anything," he told her. "I can manifest myself to whomever I choose. Like right now, I'm sitting here talking to you. Of course, I'm visible to anyone else who might happen by, too, in case they get to thinking strange things."  
  
"How often should I come to visit you?"  
  
"Once a month, plus the day we first met, and the day I passed on to the afterlife," Eugene replied. "And bring a white rose every time. That was my favorite flower."  
  
"Yeah, I seem to recall that," Jessica mused. "You gave me white roses on our first date. That was very romantic of you. It was just a shame that you and your wife divorced."  
  
"I couldn't take the fact that her male relatives were so violent. Her brother and their father were practically knocking each other unconscious, and they thought it was fun." Eugene got a distant, almost wistful, look in his eyes. "Kirkland was very pretty; I just couldn't be around her family. But then I met you."  
  
"Well, at least you found the happiness you-" Jessica was cut off sharply when she felt that Eugene was beginning to fade. "Eugene, what's happening to you?" Her eyes began to well up again as she realized what was going on: he was leaving her.  
  
"I wish I could stay, but I'm needed elsewhere right now," he said mournfully. "Don't worry. Keep me in your mind and heart, and I promise I'll stay with you for all eternity." They kissed one last time before he finally shimmered away. His voice called back to her.  
  
"Do it always in remembrance of me." Jessica turned her face toward the sky, though her vision was blurred by the hot tears streaming out of her eyes. She bent over, curled up in a ball, and wept till she could weep no more. Once she was out of tears to cry, she picked up her helmet and walked back to her sport cycle. She put the key in the ignition and revved up the engine, put her helmet on and took one last glance at Eugene's grave, then flipped down the black visor and turned her bike around to exit the cemetery through the gate. As she cruised down the street, a police motorcycle passed her on the other side. It had the Metropolitan Police badge emblazoned on it, and the officer appeared to be on patrol as usual, until he made a U-turn and came up behind her. When she came to a stop at a red light, she glanced in her side mirror and saw the officer lower his dark sunglasses to look at her. Upon closer inspection, it was Eugene! She could see in the mirror that he was smiling, and she swiveled around on her bike to look at him. When he saw her lift her tinted helmet visor, he winked at her, and he could tell she was grinning behind the mouth/chin protector. She turned around and looked in her mirror again; he had vanished, and the smile left her face. The light turned green, and Jessica continued on her way back to department headquarters, but as she crossed the intersection the Metropolitan Police motorcycle appeared again. This time, it roared up beside her, the officer smiling widely. He gave her a quick salute and passed ahead of her, then disappeared into the traffic. This left Jessica with a warm feeling that he was still watching over her, no matter where she was or what she was doing. 


	2. In Remembrance of MeChapter 2

In Remembrance of Me-Chapter 2  
  
When she reached the station and parked her bike, she took off her helmet and went inside with a little bounce in her step. A fellow officer noticed the smile Krazy-glued on her face and the energy she was exuding and came up to her.  
  
"Hey, Lieutenant, why so happy?" he asked as she walked to the desk to sign in. "Did you happen to do what I think you did last night?"  
  
"Are you kidding, Harper?" she said, playfully pushing him before reaching the book and signing in for duty. "When Eugene and I got married, we promised 'till death do us part'. We even promised we'd never see other people if one of us died before the other. I've remained true to him since."  
  
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you're so chipper today," Harper pressed.  
  
"I spoke to my husband today before coming to work," Jessica replied. "He promised me he'd always stay close to my heart. That's enough to make me happy." This confused Harper.  
  
"How's that possible, Jess? Your husband's dead," the other officer said. At that, Jessica became serious and her tone sharpened.  
  
"Oh, ye of little faith," she said bitingly. "You obviously don't realize how special Eugene was, and still is, to me. It's our love that allows me to fully experience him. And I can tell what your nights are spent doing, since you don't believe that I can see, hear, and touch my spouse." She put the pen down and headed to her office to start on some paperwork. Harper followed on her heels.  
  
"Aw, come on, Lieutenant," he whined in protest. "I didn't mean it like that. I got confused by what you said."  
  
"Don't talk to me now," she called back to him, quickening her pace.  
  
"Lieutenant, look, I'm sorry," he continued pleading as he jogged to catch up. "Can I make it up to you, babe?" As Jessica made it to her office door, she turned and faced him.  
  
"First of all, Harper, don't ever call me 'babe,'" she said. "And secondly, you can make it up to me by not talking to me for the rest of the day, or else I'm taking your badge. Got me?"  
  
"Hey, whatever you say, Jess," he answered, throwing his hands up in submission. He turned and walked away, then Jessica unlocked her office and went inside. Once she got settled at her desk, she picked up the phone and put in a call to her uncle, Commandant Eric Lassard, head of the Metropolitan Police Academy. She was his favorite, and he favored her because she was the only female in the family to make it to any police force; the fact that she became an officer of the United States Mounted Police Corps, the new elite national law enforcement, made him especially proud of her.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Metropolitan Police Academy. Can I help you?" a female voice answered on the other end.  
  
"This is Lieutenant Jessica Tackleberry. May I please speak to the commandant?"  
  
"Most definitely, Lieutenant Tackleberry," the woman said. "Please hold a minute." Jessica was placed on hold on the line, then someone very familiar to her came on.  
  
"Jessica?" This time she heard a strong, tremorous male voice, which belonged to the commandant.  
  
"Hello, Uncle Eric, sir," she said, a smile evident as she spoke. "How have you been?"  
  
"Things are just fine here at the academy," Eric replied. "And how is my favorite niece?"  
  
"Well, I had a chat with my husband Eugene today before coming to work," she said with a hint of wistfulness now.  
  
"I understand you miss him very much, dearest," he told her comfortingly. "The Metropolitan Police Department isn't the same without Sergeant Tackleberry." As Jessica listened, there was a knock at the door. She looked up in the direction it came from.  
  
"Come in," she called after hitting the "mute" button on her phone. The doorknob turned, the door swung open, and there was her husband's ghost. "Hi! Come on in, sweetheart." Eugene stepped inside the office and sat in a chair in front of the desk. She then disengaged the mute option and spoke to her uncle again. "Uncle Eric, I have a surprise visitor in my office right now."  
  
"Who might it be, my lovely niece?"  
  
"Well," Jessica said slyly, "I think you should talk to him yourself." She handed over the receiver to Tackleberry, who took it.  
  
"Good day, Commandant Lassard," he greeted his superior, his old enthusiasm permeating his voice.  
  
"Good Lord, can it be?" Eric asked on the other end, thoroughly shocked. "Sergeant Tackleberry, is that truly you?"  
  
"Yes, sir," he replied, a wide grin on his face as he spoke into the phone. "I just want to let you know that even though I'm not of this world anymore, your niece is still well-taken care of. I can promise you that."  
  
"You were a fine officer, and I still think very highly of you," Eric said with pride. "I'm glad that you are still there caring for my niece, and proud that I could have you as a nephew-in-law."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Eugene said in return. "I'm flattered by your words. It was an honor and a privilege to have been married to Jessica. She's a wonderful person. I feel I was truly blessed to know someone like her."  
  
"And I can rest easy knowing that my niece still has her best friend watching her," Commandant Lassard answered. Eugene smiled, then turned to Jessica and blew her a kiss. In an instant, he disappeared again, but only after handing the phone back to her. "Sergeant Tackleberry? Are you still there?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Uncle Eric." His niece's voice came over the line now. "Eugene had to leave suddenly. He was needed elsewhere."  
  
"I'm just glad that my wonderful Jessica still keeps her husband close to her heart," Eric said.  
  
"Sir, I'm sorry to cut the conversation off, but there's some casework I need to do now. I'll talk to you another time, okay?" Jessica suddenly blurted.  
  
"Oh! Of course, go ahead with your work," her uncle urged. "Good- bye, Jessica."  
  
"Good-bye, Uncle Eric." She put the receiver back on its base and got to her work. Usually, Jessica found case files very tedious, but she was unusually energetic as she went through records and looked over evidence. At the end of the day, she took her sport cycle back to the house that she and Eugene had bought, he having spiced up the exterior with his own style of decorating using barbed wire and electrified fencing. She just had to grin and roll her eyes whenever she saw the front yard of the house, a rustic contemporary-style structure. Only she and Eugene could have mixed the best of both worlds so well. She opened the front door, removed her helmet, and closed the door, locking it behind her. Jessica then made her way upstairs to change, her boots thudding on the pinewood staircase. After putting on her more comfortable USMPC sweatsuit and a pair of sneakers, the young officer came back down to the kitchen to prepare some dinner for herself. She knew how to cook from about age 11 and could come up with almost anything for a meal. As she busied herself with cutting up some vegetables on the countertop of the island in the middle, she had no idea that someone was watching her from outside the window. No clue as to the danger that would befall her. 


	3. In Remembrance of MeChapter 3

In Remembrance of Me-Chapter 3  
  
As Jessica was preparing a stir fry in the kitchen, Eugene appeared behind her.  
  
"You remembered," he said, coming up close and putting his hands on her shoulders. Jessica turned to see a pair of hands, then swiveled her head around to look at Eugene.  
  
"Remembered what, honey?"  
  
"That I used to love your stir fries," her husband's apparition said, massaging her shoulders. "I always thought they were better than anything I could get in Chinatown." Jessica smiled modestly, then their lips met in a couple of light kisses. Eugene moved his hands down to Jessica's waist and wrapped his arms around her, gently hugging her a little closer to him.  
  
"Yeah. I thought of you when I decided to whip this up," Jessica said as she put the vegetables and diced meat together in a bowl, mixing in some soy sauce. Eugene then stepped aside as she brought the bowl to the futuristic-looking electric stove, got out a frying pan from a cupboard, and proceeded to use a wooden spoon to transfer the mixture into the pan. After Jessica turned the stove on to cook the stir fry, the two put their arms around each other again and kissed a little more. Meanwhile, a shadow slipped fleetingly past the window and around to the front door.  
  
"You remember the time I took you to Chinatown?" Eugene asked during a pause in the kisses.  
  
"Oh, do I ever," Jessica said. "I remember like it was yesterday. We toured the whole place, stopped in some shops, ate at a lovely restaurant. What I can't recall is the name of the restaurant, but I know the setting was authentically Chinese."  
  
"I believe it was the Golden Dragon," was the answer from her husband. "It was the fanciest place in all of Chinatown. Expensive, too. But I was able to put out enough for dinner. And then I took you to the Chinese Theater in Hollywood to see a movie."  
  
"Yeah. I couldn't get over how cool it was that we got to meet George Clooney, Martin Sheen, and Michael Keaton," Jessica continued as she leaned back in Eugene's arms, and he leaned forward to compensate for the distance her action created between them. Both were grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"And don't forget I bought you that little jade statuette as a token of my esteem, and a souvenir of a wonderful time in Chinatown," Eugene finished.  
  
"You're right! I forgot about that, too," Jessica suddenly gasped. "I still have the statuette, though. It's a Buddha, right? I keep it on my dresser and it's a lovely little thing to look at."  
"It was a Buddha. You're correct," the elder Tackleberry said. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes out in the back yard. The sound alerted both of them.  
  
"What was that?" Jessica asked. "Is something out there?"  
  
"Probably just an animal or something," Eugene said, pulling out his handgun. "I'll take care of it."  
  
"Don't kill it, though," Jessica pleaded.  
  
"Okay," came the answer as her husband unlocked the back door. "I'll just make sure to scare it out of the yard." He opened the screen door, aimed his gun out into the darkness, and fired off a shot. After a short pause, he closed and locked the screen door and the inside door.  
  
"There. Problem solved," he proclaimed, putting his gun back in its holster. "Now, how about we get back to more important things, huh?" The two put their arms around each other and smooched a little more, then Jessica broke the embrace to stir up the contents of the frying pan a bit. What they did not see was the stranger who had quietly picked the lock on the front door and now was inside the house. The figure went into the living room and unplugged the lamp. The suddenness of the light going out caused Eugene to turn his head.  
  
"Hey, how come the living room just went dark?" he asked.  
  
"Maybe the bulb in the lamp burned out," Jessica said. "I'll just go and replace it." She started to head towards the living room, but her husband stopped her.  
  
"Jess, I should probably go with you. I've got something of a bad feeling about this," he said in a concerned voice.  
  
"It's just a bulb," said Jessica, a little confused by Eugene's reaction. "Why worry?"  
  
"Wasn't it just changed?" Jess still did not realize why Eugene was so tense about this.  
  
"Maybe it was faulty," she simply said. "I'll replace it with another." She went into the living room. Suddenly, there was a loud scream and the sound of ceramic smashing into pieces. Eugene bolted for the living room and turned on the lights just as the stranger was hurrying out the front door; he caught up to the man and pulled out his signature silver .44 Magnum, firing a shot squarely in the stranger's spine. The man slumped to the floor, dead, then Eugene darted back to Jessica, who was lying unconscious, taking shallow breaths. He reached for the cordless and dialed up 9-1-1.  
  
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" A female operator answered on the other end of the line.  
  
"My wife, she's been knocked unconscious," Jessica's husband responded. "She has a faint pulse and breaths are shallow. I need an ambulance. Send help, now!"  
  
"Sir, can you tell me your location?" the operator inquired.  
  
"1023 Kings Court, in the suburban area of L.A.," Eugene said.  
  
"Alright, sir," the operator replied. "We'll be sending the Los Angeles Emergency Squad and paramedics with an MICU."  
  
"Thank you," Eugene said with some relief as he replaced the phone, then he continued to monitor Jessica. "Come on, Jess. Hang in there. You've got to. The LAPD can't afford to lose another valuable member, and your uncle would be crushed." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Please, Jess. Hang on. You'll be okay." Within minutes, flashing lights appeared outside and wailing sirens were heard. Paramedics and EMT's burst in through the front door wheeling a gurney. Carefully strapping Jessica to the backboard and lifting her onto the stretcher, they brought her out of the house and loaded her into the back of the ambulance while Eugene stepped outside, distraught. The police were there, too, and he walked back in with a couple of other officers to begin an investigation after the ambulance and mobile intensive care unit pulled away, whisking Jessica off to the hospital. A few hours later, Eugene arrived at the hospital after the evidence was gathered and the body of the man who attempted to murder Jessica had been transported to the coroner at the city morgue. Following his check-in at the main desk, Eugene took the stairs two at a time, rushing up to the level where they had Jessica. He asked a passing nurse what room she was in and sprinted off to find her. Outside the room, he paced nervously until a doctor came out to talk to him.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"She's stable right now," the ER doctor said. "But it appears she suffered a concussion and is slipping in and out of consciousness periodically. We're probably going to keep her here for one to two days, just to monitor her status."  
  
"She will be okay.won't she?" Eugene asked.  
  
"I'm not sure how long it'll be before she makes a full recovery," the doctor told him, shaking his head. "And it seems she took a pretty good hit in the head. We'll keep an eye on her condition, though, I promise."  
  
"Okay. Please, do what you can to make sure she's all right," Jessica's husband begged. Please, Jess. Hang on, you'll make it, he kept thinking. You'll make it. 


	4. In Remembrance of MeChapter 4

In Remembrance of Me-Chapter 4  
  
Over the next several hours, into the early morning, Eugene Tackleberry faded in and out of existence, wondering about Jessica's condition. Finally the doctor approached him at a point where the former police officer was in the hospital, sitting in a chair outside Jessica's room.  
  
"You're, ah."-he checked the clipboard with the patient's name- ".Jessica Tackleberry's husband, right?"  
  
"Yes, I am," Eugene answered, rising to his feet. Standing at slightly over six feet or so, with his shiny black leather boots on, he seemed to tower above the somewhat shorter man in front of him. "What's the status of her condition?"  
  
"We've been checking her every so often, and from what I last saw she is coming into consciousness again," the ER doctor informed him. "Hopefully, she'll remain awake this time around."  
  
"May I go in and see her?" Eugene asked.  
  
"Well, I don't know," the other man replied. "You see, she's experienced some moderate head trauma, and I don't think." He was about to continue when his voice trailed off as Eugene pulled out his long-barreled silver handgun.  
  
"Will you let me see my wife, or do you want your head blown off?" Tackleberry asked as he trained the weapon on the doctor's forehead. His face was deathly serious and he widened his eyes angrily for effect.  
  
"Y-yes, yes," the doctor stammered, backing away from the officer staring him down. "G-go ah-head in, M-mister T-tackleberry, sir." He motioned for Eugene to go into the room. The tall motorcycle officer slid his gun back into its holster at his hip, nodded in thanks, the killer expression now gone from his face but still serious, and strode away. Once he reached the doorway, he paused for a moment and looked in at Jessica. She had intravenous tubes in her arm and a respirator tube in one side of her mouth, clamped between her teeth, to keep oxygen going to her brain. She was breathing on her own, though; her eyes were closed, like she was sleeping. Eugene quietly stepped inside the recovery room and pulled up a chair, then he sat next to the bed where Jessica was lying.  
  
"Hey, Jess," he said softly, taking her left hand in both of his. "How're you feeling?" At that moment, Jessica began to come around completely: her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, and a slight groan escaped her lips. She turned her head carefully to look at Eugene.  
  
"Hey," she answered weakly with a strained smile, releasing the respirator tube from her teeth. "I feel like my head's about to explode, but I think I'll live." She observed the concerned expression on Eugene's face.  
  
"You've been worried, haven't you?"  
  
"You have no idea," Eugene said, kissing her hand. "I'm just glad you're conscious now. The doctor said you were alternately waking up and going out cold again." Without realizing what was happening, his wife experienced a very fleeting spell of short-term memory loss.  
  
"Sweetie?" Jessica suddenly asked, her voice almost sounding like a little girl's.  
  
"What is it, my sharp-shootin' girl?"  
  
"How did I end up here? What happened to me?" Her expression went from a pained smile to one of child-like fear.  
  
"It's okay, you'll be fine," her husband quickly assured her. "You're at St. Francis Hospital of Greater Los Angeles. You went into the living room at home and a man struck you by smashing your favorite lamp over your head." When he said this, it seemed to all flood back to her in an instant. Jess looked away and winced from the motion, then gazed up at the ceiling and gave another groan.  
  
"Oh, God," she muttered in annoyance. "Now I remember everything.the man, the lamp coming down on me. I loved that lamp!" Her voice rose as she went through her sentence, the last words coming almost as a full- throated yell. She grimaced after that because yelling hurt her head.  
  
Jessica sighed. "And then after that, everything went black." She shook her bandaged head slightly as she leaned against the pillow.  
  
"You can always get another," Eugene told her. "It's you that can't be replaced. There aren't two of you, you know." He looked lovingly at his still-living wife, reached over, and pushed her hair back.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Jessica said with a sigh. She turned her head towards her husband again and smiled once more; this time she appeared to be a little stronger. One of them was about to say something else when suddenly a head popped in through the doorway, followed by more heads, all craning to see Jessica.  
  
"Jessica! Are you okay?" Hooks asked in her small voice, hurrying over to the bed. "We heard about you getting injured and came to see how you were doing."  
  
"Hi there, Hooks," the reclining United States Mounted Police Corps officer said, directing her gaze to the short black female officer from the Metropolitan Police Department. The others began to walk in one after the other, until all were gathered around the bed. "I must look pretty bad, huh?" Jessica smiled sadly.  
  
"No way, baby girl," Hightower assured her. "You don't look bad at all. Sure, you're down for a little bit, but you'll be back on your feet and riding high again in no time." He reached for her hand and took it in his larger one, then ever so gently squeezed it. Fackler spoke up; he had been kept away from any hospital equipment, so he stood near the foot of Jessica's bed.  
  
"We were so worried about you, Jess," he said, concern etched on his face. "I mean, we were afraid you were more seriously hurt than this, or even killed." Jessica shook her head.  
  
"No, I'm not going to let a broken lamp to the head kill me," came the reply from the girl lying there, who smiled slightly. While everyone was telling Jessica about how worried they had been and that she would be okay, Eugene heard two voices out in the hall, and very familiar ones at that.  
  
"Proctor, do you realize what this means?" one voice said.  
  
"I'm not sure, sir," answered the other, then, "OUCH!" as there was a sharp thwap! Tackleberry got up and went to the doorway, then peeked out. Sure enough, Captain Harris and his lackey Proctor were out in the hall, Proctor holding one hand in pain from being slapped with Harris's baton.  
  
"Of course you don't, I don't expect a complete idiot like you to know what this means!" Harris hissed angrily at his none-too-bright sidekick. "But I do, and for me it means that, until Lieutenant Tackleberry is up and about-which won't be for a while, hopefully- Commandant Lassard doesn't have his niece standing as a roadblock on my path to power. With the lieutenant currently down for the count, now is the time for m-I mean, us to take action! A chance like this only comes along once in a lifetime, and I aim to seize it! The position of police commandant will be mine!" Harris laughed evilly. As he watched, Eugene felt a sly smile coming across his face, and he had an idea. He shimmered away, then reappeared quietly behind Harris and Proctor. While Thaddeus Harris continued on about his brilliant plan, Proctor felt someone in back of him; slowly he turned around and saw Tackleberry standing there, arms folded over his chest. The expression on the taller officer's face said it all: he had overheard him and Harris talking, and knew every word of what was discussed. Proctor tapped his superior on the shoulder.  
  
"Um, sir?" he said nervously.  
  
"Not now, Proctor. I need to devise my master plan so that I can overthrow Commandant Lassard and-" A voice from behind finished up his thought.  
  
"Take over the academy." Harris and Proctor, recognizing the voice, both looked over their shoulders and up at Sergeant Tackleberry. He glared at the two shorter officers with a cool, yet intimidating, expression on his face. "Care to repeat that, Harris?"  
  
"Wh-what?!" stammered the captain. "Sergeant Tackleberry?! But, how did you-I thought you were-"  
  
"I can go wherever I please," Eugene went on. "And you'd best leave Jessica's uncle alone, or else." Out of nowhere he pulled two semi- automatic M-16 rifles and cocked them, an obvious threat to open fire should he catch them up to their devious deeds. "You can say hello to my little friends. So, my warning is simple: I catch you trying to remove Commandant Lassard from his position and this'll happen." Tackleberry pointed the barrels upward and fired off a few warning shots from both rifles.  
  
"I think that's easy enough for you to do, right?" He then aimed the weapons at Captain Harris and Proctor, a tough-guy smirk on his face. "Now, if you'd like to be really nice, you can go in and visit Jessica. Otherwise, get out." He brought his face down towards them, that fearsome glare on his face again, on the last sentence. Thaddeus Harris and Proctor leaned back, away from Eugene, then turned tail and ran down the hall.  
  
"Hnh." The motorcycle officer tossed both M-16's from his hands and they disappeared into non-existence. "Gets them every time." He then walked back into Jessica's room, where his fellow officers had been chattering away with the downed lieutenant. She turned to see him in the doorway, as did the other members of the Metropolitan Police Department. Except for Jess, everyone else in the room had shocked expressions on their faces.  
  
"Hi, again," she said. "What'd you go outside for?"  
  
"Had to go chase away a couple of, uh, pests," Eugene replied, stepping back into the room. "They're gone. So, how's the head, Daredevil?" He used the nickname he had given her a while ago, when they first met on an assignment.  
  
"It's a little better," she murmured. "Everyone's been telling me that they were really concerned after I got whacked in the head, and they hope I mend soon." What the other officers could not fathom was the fact that Eugene Tackleberry, who had been dead and gone for a couple of years, was standing here before them. He could tell what they were thinking.  
  
"It's okay, everyone," he said, smiling. A golden glow appeared to emanate from him as he explained. "I'm an angel come from heaven. Manifestation is a special ability that I'm endowed with now. I don't want any of you thinking I'm one of the 'undead' or something." Jessica smiled as he came forward and hugged each of his living colleagues. Their surprise melted away into realization that even though he was no longer physically present to them, he was still among them as they worked and went about their lives. Everyone present, from Hightower to Fackler, welcomed him warmly, now feeling sorry they had put Eugene's death behind them and never gave another thought as to how alive he actually was. Hooks even broke down in tears as Sergeant Tackleberry put his arms around her. Jessica closed her eyes and rested, happy that the crew was reunited once again. 


End file.
